Abdul Reza Shahlai ( fa, عبدالرضا شهلایی) is an Iranian
military officer with the rank of
brigadier general
Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...
who serves as the commander of the Yemen division of
Quds Force
The Quds Force ( fa, نیروی قدس, niru-ye qods, Jerusalem Force) is one of five branches of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) specializing in unconventional warfare and military intelligence operations. U.S. Army's Iraq War ...
of the
Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC; fa, سپاه پاسداران انقلاب اسلامی, Sepāh-e Pāsdārān-e Enghelāb-e Eslāmi, lit=Army of Guardians of the Islamic Revolution also Sepāh or Pasdaran for short) is a branch o ...
.
Designation as a terrorist by the US
Shahlai is classified by the US government as a terrorist for his funding of terror groups and his links to attacks on US troops in Iraq, including a
2007 raid that killed five US soldiers in
Karbala. Other alleged attacks led by Shalai include a failed assassination attempt on the Saudi ambassador in Washington DC,
Adel Al-Jubeir
Adel Al-Jubeir ( ar, عادل بن أحمد الجبير; born 1 February 1962) is a Saudi diplomat who is the former Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs and the current Saudi Minister of State for Foreign Affairs. He is the second person not belon ...
.
As such, the
US State Department
The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy and relations. Equivalent to the ministry of foreign affairs of other nati ...
has put a $US 15 million bounty on Shahlai, through the
Rewards for Justice Program, for information leading to his whereabouts.
2020 assassination attempt by the US
On the night of 3 January, the US military attempted to assassinate Shahlai via drone strike in conjunction with the assassination of the head of the Quds Force
Qasem Soleimani
Qasem Soleimani ( fa, قاسم سلیمانی, ; 11 March 19573January 2020) was an Iranian military officer who served in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). From 1998 until his assassination in 2020, he was the commander of the Qu ...
in the
Baghdad International Airport airstrike
On 3 January 2020, Qasem Soleimani, an Iranian major general, was killed by a U.S. drone strike at Baghdad International Airport. The drone targeted and killed Soleimani while he was on his way to meet Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi i ...
. The drone strike in
Sana'a
Sanaa ( ar, صَنْعَاء, ' , Yemeni Arabic: ; Old South Arabian: 𐩮𐩬𐩲𐩥 ''Ṣnʿw''), also spelled Sana'a or Sana, is the capital and largest city in Yemen and the centre of Sanaa Governorate. The city is not part of the Gover ...
, where Shahlai was based, failed to kill him but did lead to the death of lower-ranked IRGC member Mohammad Mirza. This is the first combat death the Quds Force has acknowledged in Yemen.
On 10 January, the US State Department admitted to the attempted assassination of Shahlai but did not announce it on the same date as the Soleimani assassination because the Shahlai assassination was unsuccessful. This led to speculation the 3 January drone strikes were wider decapitation hits aimed at taking out the Quds Force leadership.
Death rumor
An Islamic Republic News Agency report initially called
COVID-19
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quickly ...
victim
Hasan Irlu a repatriated Qods Corps officer and Iranian envoy to Yemen, Shahlai.
See also
*
List of fugitives from justice who disappeared
*
USA kill or capture strategy in Iraq
*
Assassination of Qasem Soleimani
On 3 January 2020, Qasem Soleimani, an Iranian major general, was killed by a U.S. drone strike at Baghdad International Airport. The drone targeted and killed Soleimani while he was on his way to meet Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shahlai, Abdulreza
1957 births
Fugitives
Fugitives wanted by the United States
Iran–United States relations
Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps brigadier generals
Living people
People from Kermanshah
Quds Force personnel
Iranian individuals subject to the U.S. Department of the Treasury sanctions
21st-century Iranian military personnel